Well, I'm back from Florida with a design question. My parents have a condo on the ocean in the Palm Beach area. My mom is dissatified with the small garden in front of the building. In particular, she doesn't like these Croton-thingies, as she finds them too autumnal looking. As is painfully obvious from the previous sentence, I know nothing about tropical plants, but I agree with her that the orange of the foliage doesn't really work with the white Hibiscus (at least I know what that is). The building is white and peach. This garden faces west and is in sun for most of the day.
The north end of the garden has a challenge, with this utility panel which needs to be camoflaged.
There is also a problem with the Crotons dying in the area around this Palm. Here's the view from the south end which shows a more prominent utility box.
The garden is symmetrical, which compounds the problem of dying plants. The Palms and Hibiscus will probably have to stay, but I don't know whether the condo association would be willing to get rid of part or all of the hedge.My mom likes this plant, which is in the garden of the building next door.
This plant is another candidate,
but I'm concerned that both plants might be too large. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, please share them. I'm clueless.
17 comments:
The plant with the small purple blooms looks like Ruellia (Mexican Petunia). There is also a dwarf strain -- 'Katy Red' -- red and less a thug. I think it may come in other colors, like pink.
Pentas are a possibility. They also come in 3-footers and dwarf and are perennial where winters are balmy. Choices are red, pink, lavender, rose. They also attract butterflies, a bonus.
If she likes the form of the crotons, but not the gaudy colors, gingers might be a good substitute. There are many gingers from which to choose, from small to tall. Variegated Alpina is one of my favs.
I love that last photo... big purple leaves and the spidery flowers! Wouldn't that look great to the right of the palm in your second photo??
I would love to have her quandry... given the association lets her make changes. (I also like the curve of the sidewalk.)
Welcome back to snowy-land! ;-)
Yes, welcome back, MMD! Can't offer any suggestions since I don't know anything about gardening in Florida, but it looks like a nice spot, and would be fun to have this as a puzzle.
Good to see you are back home MMcD. It looks like you collected many sun rays.
I can't help you with your tropical garden questions either. There are several Foridians that have blogs. Maybe if you go to Blogtanical you can tap into their knowledge. Meems is one I read. There is a nice fellow down in Miami that blogs too. He could possibly help. Can't remember the name of his blog but like I said blotanical could help.
I'm no help. Maybe if I spent some time down there soaking up the sun and observing the area I might be. Have your mom send me a plane ticket and I'll head right down.
Jean - thanks for all the suggestions! I'll pass them on to my mom. She's meeting with a landscaper this week.
Shady Gardener - I think the association is letting her handle it because she has complained about the lame planting out front for years now. You know, the squeaky wheel...
Jodi - it was so wonderful to see things in bloom. It's so miserably cold here now that it seems even worse after getting used to 80F.
Lisa - thanks for the suggestion. The blog you're thinking of is Rusty in Miami. He's got such beautiful flowers.
Wiseacre - if I told my mom, she'd invite you to stay, make you dinner & act as your tour guide & social director. My parents had to buy a bigger unit because of all the entertaining they do. I don't think they have a week to themselves while they are down there.
It must have been great having a break from the unending snow and seeing your parents.
I like that last flower - the flowers are beautiful.
I can't help you but there are several Floridian bloggers who definitely know their plants!
I wish I could offer some help, but tropical plants aren't my forte. The only hot-weather plants I've had lots and LOTS of luck with have been Lantana, and they bloom all summer well into autumn with bright, happy colors. That's my only advice, and I'm not even sure if it's GOOD advice! Good luck!
I love the second plant as well. They are in a lower zone than my garden, so I am not as acquainted with the tropical gardens. I will chime in on the Mexican Petunia. It IS a thug and will gallivant freely throughout your parent's garden. She should just admire it in the next door garden. Here's a suggestion. I'm putting in a large variety of milkweed here in Pensacola. Some varieties grow quite large and of course, they attract the monarch. And, angel trumpets (brugmansia). Has anyone suggested that already? I love their beautiful blooms and fragrance.
Very nice blog :)
Kate - it was so great to wear sandals again!
Giraffe Head Tree - thanks for the suggestion. My parents generally are down in Florida only in the winter, so they're looking for things to bloom then. Lantana might fit the bill, though. I'll look into it.
Becca - thanks so much for commenting! I'll have to break the bad news to my mom about that Petunia. Brugmansia might add an interesting element. Thanks for the suggestion.
Marie - thanks for visiting!
Since you were sweet enough to ask, I’ll put in my two cents in. Ginger, ginger, ginger. Did I mention ginger? I LOVE ginger. A white butterfly ginger, (Hedychium coronarium) would look especially good with foliage you’ve displayed. Variegated shell ginger (Alpinia zerumbet) would be good too. They are easy plants to grow, but take note, they often don’t bloom until the second year they are in the ground. For color, I’ve always had great luck with foliage plants like coleus and Peruvian shield. For flowers, bougainvillea, guara, angel trumpet, and vinca can take the heat. That leads me to my main piece of advice for gardening. Shade is key. What is full sun up north often does much better in partial shade down here, especially if you are growing them for their flowers. Mexican Petunia is a total thug, but if you can’t resist a bad boy (and really, who can?) it is very easy to root from cuttings. The last picture is a crinum lily, sometime called a spider lily, and don’t you dare remove it because it is gorgeous, happy, and those things aren’t cheap. I’d even consider getting another variety with pale green foliage because I think it would be striking mixed in with the purple. Well, I hope this helpful. If you haven’t already, see Rusty at yearroundgarden.blogspot.com. He has a gorgeous tropical garden closer to Palm Beach than me.
(I don’t like crotons either, even though they seem very popular. )
Google Stokes Tropicals for info on buying gingers and other tropical plants.
Plumeria are great too! I need to stop. I could go all night.
Hi MMD, thanks for your comments in my blog. I have a few suggestions.
First the Ruelias or Mexican Petunias are great for front gardens they come in two colors pink and purple, they can take the heat, are drought tolerant and low maintenance.
Regarding the palm, tell her not to waste anytime planting anything around the palm, I find the only thing that survives there are Bromeliads but they are an acquired taste and because they retain water in the stock, it can be a breading ground for mosquitoes.
The last photo you have is a type of Spider Lily great plant, beautiful flower and low maintenance, I recommended.
For a condominium where the maintenance cost might be an issue, I recommend Lantanas for ground cover; they come in yellow, blue and multi color. Do well in drought condition and in full sun.
The other plant I would recommend is the Plumango, it has a beautiful cluster of blue flowers, and it is a bush. It grows about 3 to 4 feet toll; again it is drought tolerant and does well in full sun.
I hope this helps, email me if you have any other questions
Looks to me as though you've just received some Wonderful Suggestions! (Are you ready to return to Florida, what with the cold temps we've been having again?) ;-)
Your mom would love to have you return, I'm sure!
Wicked Gardener - thank you, thank you! I'll pass along your suggestions to my mom. Thanks also for ID'ing the Crinum. Unfortunately, it is not at my parents' building (yet!). I may have to try growing it in a pot up here, it's so gorgeous!
Rusty - thank you also! I have seen Plumbago growing around there. I really like it, but I think my mom wants a stronger color than that pale blue. Thanks for the advice about the area around the Palms. Maybe they should get some fake foliage plants. (Just kidding.) I'll also pass along all your suggestions to my mom.
Shady Gardener - it's supposed to get above freezing this weekend. Wahoo. My parents are snowbirds, & they'll be back for Easter, so there's no chance for me to get back down there. Besides, I've got to save my pennies for Spring Fling in Austin. Can't wait!
Welcome back!
You can always call the agricultural extension agent in your mom's county for advice. They know the local growing conditions and what plants might be most successful. They could possibly connect you to a master gardener down there too.
Robin at Bumblebee
Hi, Robin, thanks for visiting! Those are great ideas - I'll tell my mom!
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